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What do you use to clean your Mustang with?

34K views 60 replies 49 participants last post by  Ken14 
#1 ·
Just bought a new GT yesterday and it is not as clean as I would like it. There seems to be deep down dirt in paint and it needs a good scrubbin'.

What do you guys use to clean (type of soaps etc...) your cars? Any suggestions? thanks
 
#2 ·
whats the build date, how long did it sit on the lot?

mine was on the lot several months and the paint felt almost rough..
after reading about iron rail dust I decided to clay bar my entire car.
very easy, took about an hour and the paint now is super smooth and slick. I put a coat of wax on afterward to protect it.

follow the directions and you'll be suprised at the results.
 
#3 ·
I normally just let the rain clean it. If it gets particularly dirty I'll take it to a standard mechanical carwash, maybe once or twice a year.
 
#8 ·
Why do you even bother posting useless information! If you don't have any helpful information don't post.
 
#4 ·
I'm probably in the minority, but after I got mine home I took a claybar to it to make sure the paint was clean, then hit it with the PC to remove ALL swirl marks. Then I put a sealant and wax on it. Looked awesome for about a day, then I drove it in the rain. lol.

I'll probably keep that routine up every couple of months for as long as I own it. Makes for a good excuse to spend Saturday afternoon outside, or at least out in the garage.

When washing I always use some kind of car specific soap, and a microfiber sponge. This time of year I will drive it through a touchless car wash every week or so.
 
#27 ·
Absolutely no elbow grease to do it correctly. Sounds like you apply too much pressure to your clay bar.
 
#6 ·
Pinnacle

I use Pinnacle products. I purchased these products from AutoGeek.com Automotive Super Site.

I use the Foam Cannon hooked up to my pressure washer. It looks like you covered the whole car in shaving cream. It really minimizes the amount of time spent washing, its fun, and minimizes the amount of time you scrub your car minimizing swirl marks. I then use the two bucket method to wash the car. I dry the car using micro fiber towels. I apply the non abrasive Pinnacle polish & remove residue with microfiber towels. I then apply Pinnacle sovereign paste wax & remove residue with microfiber towel. I also used the Pinnacle clay bar kit after i purchased the car so cleaning and polishing is much faster. I use the pinnacle wheel and tire cleaning kit to clean the wheels.
These products will provide you a Show Car quality finish. They are not cheap.
 
#7 ·
Use a dedicated car wash soap, do NOT use Dawn or other dish soap. It'll strip every layer of wax and expose the paint to the elements, not to mention leave it hazy and swirled. It's too harsh for the automotive paint.
 
#12 ·
Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detail Supplies : CHEMICAL GUYS WHOLESALE AUTO DETAILING SUPPLIES CAR WASH PRODUCTS PROFESSIONAL CAR DETAIL SUPPLY FACTORY DIRECT

Get the professional stuff.. cheap.

NEVER take it through a car wash that has brushes.. ever..

If you have to go through a car wash.. make sure it only uses water jets. Afterwards, spray it with a liberal amount of detail spray and wipe it off with a clean microfiber towel.

You should have a good "cleaner" wax on hand for once or twice a year.. and a non-abrasive wax for whenever you want the car to look good.

Once a year, I strip the wax off.. they apply a sealant, few coats of glaze, and a few coats of high-end wax. I have a nice liquid wax (butter wax) that I apply probably 1-2 times a month.. its really easy to put on and take off.

Even with my black daily driver 07, I never had to touch it with a buffer.. everything by hand and no swirl marks.

If it's not microfiber and slightly dampened with detail spray... it doesn't touch my paint.
 
#13 ·
I use Meguiars Gold Class Car Wash and Quick Detailer after I dry it with a Shamee. I have put one coat of the Collinite 845 Insulator Wax so far and will hit it again once the weather warms up a bit.


I have never tried the Clay Bar before but after seeing some many others suggest it I may give it a try. The Kona Blue looks sweet when clean but does get dirtier quicker than I thought it would, still love the car though. :smoke:
 
#16 ·
Claybar is to get imperfections and contaminants out of the paint. To tell if you need to claybar do this test (while the car is clean): take a plastic sandwich bag and put it over your hand and run your fingers gently across the painted surface. If it feels gritty, then you need to clay. Your car will most likely need to be clayed, even if it's brand new.

There are plenty of online tutorials on youtube on how to claybar. Just remember three things when you're doing it though.

1. use plenty of water or quick wax type product to lubricate the clay on the paint as your work.

2. don't press hard, let the clay do the work

3. if you drop the clay, just get rid of it. clay is cheap compared to fixing marred paint.
 
#23 ·
I was planning to claybar mine, but the paint felt and looked amazing.... So I have a claybar kit that I'll probably use when the winter is gone to keep it in good shape.

I use just some turtle wax soap, and then use a good quality wax. :bigthumbsup

Truthfully you wont be able to feel the crap in your paint. What you can do is place your hand inside a pastic bag and lightly rub over what you think is a clean spot. Post back with your results :bigthumbsup
 
#20 ·
I really just wash and spray wax my car, And Ill clay bar it one time at the beginning of the summer, thats it. But Im saying NEVER take your car through a machine wash, unless its touchless, trust me, It will give you brand new scratches every time, and over time you WILL notice it. Also its just begging for something to happen like a mechanical spaghetti thing to break and fall and REALLY screw up your car. I would never risk it, as per all the machine washes around me all say in HUGE letters, "WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR.... blah blah blah, Dings or Scratches, Major Dents from Equipment... etc, its much better to hand wash it, and trust me man, my car went through that blizzard, she was in 3.5 feet of snow for 3 days.... not fun. And there is STILL salt on my roads.
 
#22 ·
The first 60 degree plus weather we have here I will give her a good dual bucket wash with Meguiars NXT Generation Car Wash, then Meguaior Clay Bar it. Once it is dry I use the Meguiars Dual Action Polisher with Meguiars SwirlX, then hit it with Meguairs Deep Crystal System Polish. And last but not least I use the Dual Action Polisher to apply NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0.

It's a lot of work but on a nice day with a couple beers and a few hours to spare my Kona Blue looks like a glassy liquid deep blue car.

But right I am hating the winter grime :( Anytime it is 25 degrees or more I go to a power car wash and wand spray off as much as possible but I NEVER use one of those foam brush things they have at the the car wash!
 
#25 ·
I had a bird **** on one of my side scoops and the black isn't the same on the spot where that crap was, any idea witch product I should use to get the color on that spot back to normal?
 
#28 ·
Clay bar smoothes out bumps, rock chips and other flaws in the outer layer of paint. Kind of like filing ur car just with a squishy playdohish bar and spray
 
#29 ·
I use all Mothers products. I have their lambswool wash mitt, i use the california gold car wash, and i have thier waffle weave drying towel. Best drying towel i have EVER used.

Im planning to re-wax, gonna use the 3-step system and maybe claybar.
 
#30 ·
I wash with Optimum No Rinse, polish with a Porter Cable and Optimum Finish Polish, wax with Wet Obsession or S100. I just bought some 3M Performance Finish. Excited to try it out. It's supposed to bead water for a super long time.
 
#31 ·
Without a doubt the mecca for information about auto detailing is: http://www.autopia.org/ as well as the associated forums: http://www.autopia.org/forum/forum.php

The people on that site are about as anal as it is possible to get about car detailing! It is awesome! :bigthumbsup However the attitude is very infectious and I am way more paranoid about my car now than before I began to peruse that site.

But in all seriousness, detailing professionals are active members of the forums and will respond to questions and concerns. There is also a section for product reviews etc.
 
#32 ·
+1, matthew. It gets expensive on that site, too. I want it all... lol
 
#33 ·
I wash with warm water and Turtle Wax Zip Wax car wash using a microfiber wash mitt.

Clean the rims with Meguiars Hot Wheels and a wheel brush.

I use a couple Wal Mart microfiber drying towels to dry the car.

Then I use Armor All glass cleaner on the windows.

Next I apply Zymol cleaner wax and buff it out.

After the cleaner wax, I use a carnuba wax (usually one of Zymol's glazes)

Finally, I give the exhaust tips a quick polish with turtle wax chrome and metal polish and apply tire gel to the tires.


The only thing from the list that I don't do every time I wash the car is the waxing. I do that once every month or so during the spring and summer.
 
#34 ·
I ended up using clay bar it turned out pretty good. What is wrong with armor all? I hear some here saying it is terrible, i have used it for years, what is wrong with it?


What are you guys using to clean shine your dash, door panels and leather seats?
 
#37 ·
*DISCLAIMER: The products I mention below are what I use and recommend. But I can assure you they aren't the only things out there that work. I have tried a ton of products that do just as good or better of a job. What I use now is either my "flavor of the weeK' or something I just prefer to use. Be careful reading sites like Autopia or Detail City because you'll talk yourself in to spending more than you wanted.........it happened to me and now I'm hooked. ;)

Mitt:
Sheepskin / Lambswool Mitt Only

Wash:
Meguiars Gold Class car shampoo (normal bucket/hose wash) but usually Optimum No Rinse (Only requires two buckets and no hose).

Drying: Right now I'm using some big blue plus microfiber towels that dry well. If not those, ALWAYS a waffle weave microfiber. Never....ever....a drying blade.

Wheels / Tires: Microfiber towel in wash solution for cleaning. Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel for a nice matte sheen after they are dry.

Wax: Duragloss Aquawax after each wash. Only a nice microfiber towel to wipe off. I also used this on my wheels since they are painted. Helps a lot when it is time to clean the wheels. Dirt/dust comes right off. If you aren't up for applying a spray wax once a week, I suggest finding another product that you can get away with applying once every few months. There have been a bunch already mentioned in this thread. I would only recommend Aquawax if you are applying it at least every couple weeks.

Polish: Optimum Opti-Seal for light correction or Optimum Polish II if correction is needed. Applied with Porter Cable 7424 Dual Action Polisher.

Dust: California Car Duster. Only use this for a light dust from dry weather or light pollen. Road dust, heavy dusting, or heavy pollen should be removed with a proper wash. Also, if it rains do not use the CCD until the car has been washed.

Quick Detailer: I'll either use the aquawax or a mixture of Optimum No Rinse and water in a spray bottle.

Interior: Aerospace 303 on vinyl/plastic surfaces. Love the product because it doesn't leave that greasy feeling like Armor All and has a new look to it as opposed to a fake shiny look. Meguiars Natural Shine is another product like Aerospace 303 that you can find locally. For leather I will use Lexol.

Windows: Stoners Invisible Glass and a microfiber towel. I use this stuff in my home too. :worship

Under the Hood: A good spray down after making sure any electrical components are covered up. No high pressure....just let the water fall out of the hose. FOllow up with some Aerospace 303 to bring that new black look back.

Other Tips:
- Get good wash mitts and microfiber towels. This, coupled with a good washing process, will ensure they don't cause swirls/scratches. Wash them separate from other clothes to keep lint away. Use a little woolite. Dry on low or hang dry.

- Stick to a process to wash your vehicle that will avoid scratching a swirls. Use a gritt guard. Use plenty of soap. Start from the top and go down. Use an old microfiber towel to do tires. Rinse mitts good between panels.

- Use a claybar once a year before waxing/polishing.

- Wash your car at least once a week. This will make washing it simple since your car won't be caked in dirt/mud/grime. Plus it'll help with keeping dirt from getting embedded in your paint so claybaring will go fast.

- Keep a good coat of wax on it. I use spray wax each week because it is easy to apply and the paint always feels like a babys butt. Plus with a nice coat of wax, it is easier to remove dirt/grime when washing.

If you pick up some good products, have a good washing process, and wash once a week, chances are your car will look new for years to come.
 
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